Next year, French artist JR will take on what he calls his most ambitious project yet: wrapping Paris’s oldest bridge, Pont Neuf, in a tribute to the monumental work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude. For three weeks in June, the 232-meter-long bridge will be covered in fabric, echoing the married artists’ iconic environmental installation from 40 years ago.
In an exclusive interview at his Paris studio, JR described the project, titled Pont Neuf Cavern, as “100% the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.” He added, “I love a challenge. This was an opportunity to do something I’d never been able to do before. Suddenly, I realized I could wrap this bridge and create a real cave in it. You’ll see this big rock formation in the middle of the city. It will be really disruptive.”
JR, always seen in his signature aviator sunglasses and black fedora, has been bringing large-scale photographic projects to cities worldwide since the mid-2000s. His collaborative works range from optical illusions to portraits that highlight marginalized communities. Starting as a teenage graffiti artist constantly watching for police, he was dubbed by the Guardian in 2010 as the “hippest street artist since Banksy.” His art was compiled in the 2015 book Can Art Change the World, reissued last year with a foreword by filmmaker George Lucas.
Though no longer completely anonymous—we know his name is Jean-René and he’s 42—JR maintains an air of mystery despite his global fame. Growing up in a Paris suburb, he was just two years old when Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped Pont Neuf in 1985. “I didn’t know about it then, and art came late into my life,” he said. “I really didn’t come from that art world. Later, when I discovered their work, I realized what I’d missed. The Pont Neuf project had a major impact on my city, and it made me wish I’d been there. To be asked to do something 40 years later on the same bridge is a huge responsibility but also an incredible moment to create something mesmerizing, something that might leave a mark on Paris and the world, just as Christo and Jeanne-Claude did.”
Christo, born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff in Bulgaria in 1935, moved to Paris in 1957, where he met Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon. They collaborated until her death in 2009, with famous projects like wrapping the Berlin Reichstag in 1995. Vladimir Yavachev, Christo’s nephew and director of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation, approached JR to commemorate the anniversary of the original Pont Neuf wrap, giving him full artistic freedom. “I wanted an artist influenced by Christo for a new project and thought of JR,” Yavachev said. “When I called him, he loved the idea.” Yavachev previously oversaw the wrapping of the Arc de Triomphe in 2021, a plan Christo had been developing at the time of his death.Christo passed away in 2020. In contrast to the difficulties he faced in 1985 when seeking permission from then Paris mayor Jacques Chirac to wrap the Pont Neuf, the current mayor Anne Hidalgo, along with the city police chief and French president Emmanuel Macron, gave their immediate approval.
The Pont Neuf installation will be on view from June 6 to June 28 next year, and the bridge will stay open to the public.
An observer captures a photo as technicians prepare L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped in 2021. Photo: François Mori/AP
JR mentioned that the technical aspects of the project, which employs dozens of engineers and hundreds of workers, are still being finalized.
“The key aspect of public art is that you can witness the entire process unfold,” JR explained. “People will see every stage—nothing will be concealed. It will all be transparent.”
When asked about the cost of the privately funded project, Yavachev recalled Jeanne-Claude’s words: “It will cost what it has to cost.”
JR responded, “That’s a good answer. A great one.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about JRs project to rewrap the Pont Neuf designed with clear questions and direct answers
General Beginner Questions
1 What is the Pont Neuf project
Its a largescale art installation where the French artist JR wrapped the historic Pont Neuf bridge in Paris with a massive photorealistic fabric print
2 Who is the artist JR
JR is a famous and anonymous French street artist known for his monumental blackandwhite photographic portraits pasted in public spaces around the world
3 Was this the first time the Pont Neuf was wrapped
No This was a rewrap The original installation was done 40 years ago by the famous artists Christo and JeanneClaude
4 Why is it called a rewrap
Because the bridge was wrapped once before by Christo and JeanneClaude in 1985 JRs project in 2024 was a new artistic interpretation of that same idea
5 What was the picture on the wrap
It was a giant blackandwhite archival photograph showing the bridge and the people who work on and around it like police officers and maintenance workers
The Connection to Christo and JeanneClaude
6 Who were Christo and JeanneClaude
They were a married artist duo famous for wrapping large landmarks and landscapes including the Pont Neuf in 1985 and the Arc de Triomphe in 2021
7 Why did JR decide to rewrap the bridge four decades later
He did it as a tribute to Christo and JeanneClaude celebrating their legacy and reimagining their iconic work for a new generation
8 How was JRs wrap different from Christos
Christo Used 450000 square feet of sandycolored woven polyamide fabric to create an abstract sculptural form
JR Used a photographic print on a recyclable fabric creating a detailed image that interacted with the bridges real structure
Practical Technical Questions
9 How long did the installation stay up
The installation was temporary remaining in place for about one week
10 Was the bridge closed to traffic and pedestrians
No a key part of the artwork was that the bridge remained open to the public People
